to wind up the debate on the statement by the Vice‑President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure

on the situation in Guinea-Bissau (2012/2660(RSP))

Véronique De Keyser, Ana Gomes, Liisa Jaakonsaari, Ricardo Cortés Lastra
on behalf of the S&D Group

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Guinea-Bissau(2012/2660(RSP))

B7‑0284/2012

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the statements made by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) on 12 and 14 April 2012,

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 23 April, 3 May and 31 May 2012,

– having regard to the statements made by the President of the United Nations (UN) Security Council on 21 April and 7 May 2012,

– having regard to the decisions taken at the extraordinary summits of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) of 26 April and 3 May 2012,

– having regard to the meeting of the chiefs of staff of the armed forces of the ECOWAS Member States on 14 May 2012,

– having regard to the decisions adopted by the African Union (AU) on 24 April 2012,

– having regard to the resolutions adopted by the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) on 14 April and 5 May 2012,

– having regard to the report on the mission by European Union (EU) election observers,

– having regard to the democratic and human rights obligations set out in the Cotonou Agreement, to which Guinea‑Bissau is a party,

A. whereas the first round of the presidential election was held on 18 March 2012, following the death of the President;

B. whereas the turnout was substantially higher than in the 2008 general election;

C. whereas the election was deemed credible by all the international observers and the Prime Minister, Carlos Gomes Junior, won 48.97% of the vote;

D. whereas the second round was scheduled for 29 April 2012;

E. whereas the army staged a coup on 12 April 2012, deposing the interim President, Raimundo Pereira, and the Prime Minister, Carlos Gomes Junior, and dissolving the National Assembly;

F. whereas Guinea-Bissau has had six presidents in the last 13 years, none of whom completed their terms in office;

G. whereas the junta, after being issued with an ultimatum by ECOWAS, released the interim President and the Prime Minister, who have been forced to leave the country;

H. whereas the armed forces of a democratic state should obey instructions issued by the elected civilian authorities;

I. whereas there have been reports of looting and human rights violations, including arbitrary detentions and violent repression of peaceful demonstrations;

J. whereas Guinea-Bissau was awarded EUR 102.8 million under the 10th European Development Fund;

K. whereas Guinea-Bissau's economy is one of the poorest and most dependent in the region, with international aid accounting for 80% of the State budget;

L. whereas the political crisis is diverting attention away from the needs of the population and precipitating a humanitarian crisis;

M. whereas robust support from the international community could help to put Guinea-Bissau back on the path to development and the restoration of constitutional order;

N. whereas the Council of the European Union has decided to adopt targeted measures against six individuals 'who are threatening the peace, security and stability of Guinea-Bissau';

O. whereas the World Bank and the African Development Bank have decided to suspend their aid to Guinea-Bissau;

P. whereas the AU has suspended Guinea-Bissau's membership of all its bodies and is threatening to impose sanctions on the coup leaders;

Q. whereas the International Organisation of la Francophonie has suspended Guinea-Bissau's membership;

R. whereas as long ago as in 2007 the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime highlighted Guinea-Bissau's role as a staging post for those smuggling cocaine from Latin America to Europe;

S. whereas the country's political and military leaders have accused one another of involvement in the illegal drugs trade;

T. whereas the President of Guinea (Conakry) has described those who staged the military coup as 'drug traffickers who pose a threat to the region';

U. whereas the army takeover in Guinea‑Bissau could lead to an increase in the amount of drugs being smuggled to Europe;

V. whereas ECOWAS has decided to deploy a 500 to 600-person force to prepare the departure of the Angolan mission;

W. whereas Nigeria has said that it is prepared to send a 320-strong force, and Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Togo are willing to send additional forces;

X. whereas the estimated cost of the operation over six months is US$ 127 million and the United States and the EU have been asked to finance it;

Y. whereas the coup leaders have agreed to allow ECOWAS forces into the country;

Z. whereas the CPLP, under its Angolan Presidency, has proposed that an interposition force be established under the aegis of the UN, in agreement with ECOWAS, the AU and the EU;

AA. whereas the Angolan troops who have been in Guinea-Bissau since March 2011 under the terms of the bilateral agreement of October 2010 have not yet begun their withdrawal;

BB. whereas the bilateral agreement was concluded after the EU had ended its support for the reform of the security forces;

CC. whereas UN Security Council Resolution 2048 imposes sanctions on the leaders of the coup;

DD. whereas the current interim President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Raimundo Pereira, and the Prime Minister, Carlos Gomes Junior, have refused to relinquish their respective offices, despite having been forced to leave the country;

EE. whereas the Transitional Agreement, which was recently negotiated between ECOWAS, the leaders of the military coup and the opposition parties and which provides for the appointment of a President and government nominated by the coup leaders, violates the constitution and gives legitimacy to the coup;

1. Condemns the coup in Guinea-Bissau and advocates a zero-tolerance approach to coups in general; calls for the immediate restoration of constitutional order, namely the unconditional return to their functions of the interim President, the legitimate government and the National Assembly, who were democratically appointed or elected, and the completion of the electoral process;

2. Refuses to recognise all non-elected transitional institutions;

3. Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all persons detained illegally;

4. Condemns the fact that the interim President and the Prime Minister have been forced to leave the country;

5. Condemns all human rights violations, in particular all violence against politicians and NGO workers, and is concerned at the rapid deterioration in human security in Guinea-Bissau, in particular as regards food security and medical care;

6. Expresses concern at the reports from NGOs on the ground documenting ongoing and increasing abuses of human rights by the illegal government, including the repression of civil liberties such as freedom of expression, freedom of the press and freedom of movement and assembly; also condemns the arbitrary arrests, detention and harassment of activists and politicians protesting against the government established by the coup leaders;

7. Calls for the perpetrators of human rights violations to be held to account for their actions, possibly before the International Criminal Court, and for those who have breached the constitution to be brought to justice;

8. Expresses concern at the prospect of a humanitarian crisis in Guinea-Bissau, and calls on the EU, the UN, the AU, ECOWAS and the CPLP to coordinate their efforts to prevent such a crisis, by planning joint measures, particularly to support the country's health sector, including the main hospital in Bissa, which is lacking the resources needed to meet people's daily needs and which will be unable to respond to a public health crisis exacerbated by the imminent rainy season;

9. Calls on ECOWAS, the AU, the CPLP, the EU and the UN to make every effort to support democracy and respect for human rights in Guinea-Bissau, and to work together to restore respect for international law and the democratic constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau;

10. Welcomes the sanctions imposed by the EU, and calls on the UN Security Council to take action, as it has pledged to do, if constitutional order is not restored;

11. Calls for the EU to be involved in the 'contact group' which is due to be established and which will serve not only as a development partner, but also as a partner for security and democratic stability;

12. Calls for the deployment, under the aegis of the UN Security Council, of a stabilisation force and a mission to reform the security forces;

13. Calls on the EU, the UN, the AU, ECOWAS and the CPLP to coordinate the various military forces from neighbouring countries that are already in place, including those from Angola, Nigeria, Senegal and Burkina Faso; urges the EU to call on the authorities of the countries providing military and security forces - all of which are ACP partners bound by the Cotonou Agreement - to ensure that the forces are not used to support the illegal state order established by the authors of the coup or to perpetrate human rights abuses against the people of Guinea-Bissau;

14. Calls on the Council to consider the scope for supporting this mission under the European Security and Defence Policy, and calls on the VP/HR to propose another Common Security and Defence Policy mission to Guinea-Bissau, with an extended mandate to contribute to reform of the security forces, capacity-building in public administration and support for efforts to restore the rule of law, as soon as the legitimate authorities return to power in Guinea-Bissau;

15. Calls on the EU to consider helping the legitimate government of Guinea-Bissau to combat drug trafficking, in which the army and parts of the state apparatus of Guinea-Bissau have been closely involved for years; points out that drugs intended for Europe are smuggled through Guinea-Bissau and that drug traffickers establish links with other criminal networks operating in the region, including terrorist groups based in the Sahel and Nigeria;

16. Calls on the Commission to continue providing aid directly to the population of Guinea-Bissau;

17. Calls for efforts to tackle impunity and the promotion of socioeconomic development in Guinea-Bissau to be given priority in a long-term strategy which takes account of regional circumstances and key regional issues;

18. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, ECOWAS, the AU and the ACP States.